LAKESIDE ORGANIZATIONAL RE-STRUCTURE

Brought by Organizational Stewardship Task Force and Approved by Session April 17, 2024

Christ is our sure foundation… and the Spirit moves and changes us. We are Reformed… and ever being reformed. At Lakeside Presbyterian Church, we value stability and consistency of message and purpose; we also know that change can reinforce our ability to respond to God’s call to offer a place of comfort, acceptance, and peace in an otherwise hectic and unpredictable world.

We are now at a point in time where we believe change is needed.

Our 2022 Elemental vision and strategy process identified the following goal: to “position Lakeside Presbyterian Church to attain organizational and financial stability, allowing us to fulfill our mission,” including a strategy to review our organizational structure so that we might be good stewards of volunteer time and talent. Since the last  organizational restructuring in 2005, LPC membership has changed from 688 active members to 337 active members in 2024. Meanwhile, culture has significantly changed the ways we volunteer, a trend that may hinder leadership from some demographics of our membership while disproportionately favoring others and preventing equitable representation.

We hope to be a place of “bread for the journey,” not volunteer burnout.

 We are called to be servant leaders, not seat fillers. 

We are called to discern priorities and name gifts, not “do more with less.” 

In response, we believe we need to change the organizational structure of our church, in terms of both size and spirit. We must acknowledge that membership time available to serve the church is more limited than in the past. And we must acknowledge that the energy of those called to serve, especially in ordained roles, is as important as any modifications we propose to our organizational structure. We need enough stability to maintain a coherent and cohesive vision and enough fluidity to live into the specific gifts and passions of individuals and seasons

In short, we believe we must be more effective and efficient in how we utilize our members’ offering of their time and talents. We believe this change is necessary to sustain our church for the decades to come. Our proposal for change will be aligned with this objective and guided by the Spirit.